Hound Group

Dogs in the Hound Group are among the oldest breeds of dogs known. Most dogs in the Hound Group were bred to help man with hunting. This group of hunters can be further divided based on their method for hunting. Some have developed a great sense of smell (Scent Hounds); others have keen eyesight (Sight Hounds). The size of the hound is largely related to the intended prey they were bred to hunt.

Scent Hounds include such familiar breeds as the Basset Hound, the Dachshund, and the Beagle. The Scent Hound finds its prey by smell, then chases the prey until the prey is cornered. The hound then barks or bays until its master arrives. Some will flush the prey out into the path of their masters, instead of cornering the prey.

Because of their keen sense of smell, Scent Hounds have been trained to sniff out drugs, explosives, and other contraband (No, in spite of the commercial, I have found no documented cases of using them to find kitty litter!).

The keen sense of smell, however, might also pose a problem during obedience training. All the odors bombarding the nose of the hound have a tendency to distract them from what you are trying to get them to do.

Sight Hounds, such as the Greyhound, Afghan Hound, and Irish Wolfhound, are typically sleek of body. They were bred to spot game, then chase that prey until the game was tired out. The Egyptians used Greyhounds in this way to chase Gazelles through the desert.

Sight Hounds are now used in competition in a sport called lure course racing. In this competition, a plastic object is pulled along a wire for the dogs to chase. Greyhound racing is a form of lure course racing.

Both the Scent Hound and the Sight Hound are typically very robust, with a great deal of stamina. Some can be extremely noisy, especially those who bay, so keep that in mind if thinking about owning a dog in this group. Hair care, exercise requirements, and temperament (as well as other bits of information) will be discussed with the individual breeds.

The following dog breeds are currently in the Hound group. As information on each breed is added, you will find a link to the right for it.

Afghan Hound

American English Coonhound

American Foxhound

Basenji

Basset Hound

Beagle

Black and Tan Coonhound

Bloodhound

Bluetick Coonhound

Borzoi

Dachshund

English Foxhound

Greyhound

Harrier

Ibizan Hound

Irish Wolfhound

Norwegian Elkhound

Otterhound

Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen

Pharaoh Hound

Plott

Portuguese Podengo Pequeno

Redbone Coonhound

Rhodesian Ridgeback

Saluki

Scottish Deerhound

Treeing Walker Coonhound

Whippet

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The dog's agenda is simple, fathomable, overt: I want. "I want to go out, come in, eat something, lie here, play with that, kiss you". There are no ulterior motives with a dog, no mind games, no second-guessing, no complicated negotiations or bargains, and no guilt trips or grudges if a request is denied.Caroline Knapp